Hidden Secrets
by The Innocent Devil
Summary: AU She's in an unwanted marriage, in love with her best friend, and lusting after her enemy? Troyella
1. Chapter 1

It was raining outside but she did not care, she needed to find Chad. She was filled with the excitement of knowing that she would finally be leaving the prison she had called home.

She had spent half of the evening thinking about how close she and Chad had come to making love earlier in the week and finally decided that she wanted out of her marriage, not tomorrow or in the near future but now, today! She was all packed and ready to leave, all she needed was to find Chad and convince him that they could do it now. She had called a lawyer earlier today and she had an appointment to meet him day after tomorrow. Everything was going to be as it should have been. And all before Ryan got back from his trip she thought with a smile.

The rain was now pouring and Gabriella sighed to herself thinking that maybe she should find somewhere to wait the rain out. There was no use catching a cold tonight, she would catch up with Chad later. She turned to her left and saw that she was next to a diner.

As she walked towards the diner she saw a couple dancing next to the window. She moved her wet hair out of her face so she could get a better look. She could only see the man's back as they swayed. She was a foot to the door when the dancing couple made a turn and she could now see the man's face. She gasped when she recognized him, Chad. She stared and then she saw his partner toss her hair back to look up at him and immediately turned her attention to her. She clenched her jaws in anger when she recognized the teenager in his arms. Taylor. What the hell was this?! She watched Chad smile down at Taylor. And immediately reached for the door handle, no little miss goody two shoes was going to make a move on her man!

Gabriella opened the door and was about to release her wrath on the pair but paused when she saw Chad's hand move to the back of Taylor's neck. She watched in slow motion as Chad bent his head lowering his lips to Taylor's. His hand moving through her hair.

As she watched all this, a sudden pain engulfed her chest leaving her breathless. She could barely move but she managed to step out of the diner pulling the door slightly behind her. She stood there for what seemed an eternity, tears running down her cheeks mixing with the pouring rain, her heart breaking.

There was a loud clap of thunder and she finally came out of reverie. Gabriella looked around her and had only one thought in her mind. She needed to get away from here. She needed to get away from them. As she rushed away she could still hear the music playing. She walked faster trying to get away from the music, but it would not fade away. The scene kept replaying in her head, each time she saw it she felt a piece of her heart chip away. By the time she reached her destination she was numb. When she looked up and saw the sign 'Joe's' she laughed at herself. Each laugh more painful than the other.

" Hey, lady you okay?" a guy who had been standing next to the door asked wondering what was wrong with this woman. "You should get out of the rain, you are soaked!" he added pointing at her wet clothes.

She looked up at him and then looked down at her clothes passively. Her jeans were soaked and her shirt was clinging to her...so what? She moved the hair out of her face and looked around her. It was raining harder, and there was another clap of thunder and lightening. The man took her arm and pulled her towards the bar. " Come on you look like you need a drink" he stated. She let him pull her to the bar, figuring that maybe the drink would dull the pain "What's your poison?" her companion asked.

She climbed onto a barstool then said with a closed but determined look " Straight Vodka, line them up" The bartender raised an eyebrow at her and she stared right back at him daring him to question her order. He shrugged and put the drink in front of her. Gabriella lifted it to her mouth and downed it one gulp, put the glass down and reached for the next shot glass. Her companion looked at her and laughed " Slow down there lady" pushing some of the shots away from her reach.

Gabriella looked up at him angrily " What's your name?"

"Keith" he smiled down at her.

" Go away, Keith or get your own drink" she stated coldly pushing his hand away.

"Yes, ma 'am" he said sitting down next to her and taking a sip of his drink. He was not about to cross this lady. She looked like she was about to snap.

In the next hour he watched as she downed shot after shot. He had given up any attempts to hold a conversation with her; she seemed entranced in her own world. He watched as the mask she had been wearing began to fall and the pain behind it was revealed. He watched her with pity and wonder as he finally decided to leave. What could have happened to cause this beautiful lady such pain? She looked as if her whole world had crushed around her!

He never knew how close his last thought was to the truth. Gabriella felt as if the ground had been snatched from underneath her, her world destroyed yet again. She tried to figure out, why, what and when everything had gone wrong. How could Chad do this to her?! How could he hurt her like this? She spent the rest of the evening asking herself these questions, not even wanting or daring to think about how rest of her life would be affected by this. She didn't have the emotional capacity to deal with all that now. All she could think about was Chad.

The crowd in Joe's had begun to diminish, as it neared closing time. The bartender tried to give the lady at the bar hints trying to get her to get herself home, but she did not budge. She seemed to have faded into her own world. The guy who had brought her to the bar had left. He shook his head and decided maybe his boss could deal with this, and went to find him.

Joe came out to help get rid of the stubborn customer. When he looked at her he recognized her. " Hey, Gabriella."

Gabriella looked up to see Joe "Hey, Joe long time no see" she laughed forcefully.

When she saw Joe's eyes narrow she added with a sigh " Don't worry I am not here to cause any fights".

She looked at the stairs that led to the rooms upstairs, and sniffed not holding back the tears that ran down her cheeks. Joe looked at the direction her eyes had taken and finally asked, " Where is Danforth?"

Gabriella started laughing hysterically more tears rolling down her cheeks " Dancing…." She said and started laughing again. " he was actually kissing her do you know that...they were dancing and then _he_ was kissing _her_" she wiped her tears.

"You never seemed to me as the type to let a man hurt you and get away with it"

"I guess I seem like a lot of things I am not" she sniffed.

"Are you sure he was cheating on you?" Joe questioned clearing the counter.

"I saw it….." Gabriella mumbled thinking about it.

"Maybe you should go talk to him"

"Maybe I should…." Gabriella answered more determinedly. She would go and tell the bastard what she thought of him.

Stringing her along and then making out with that teenage bitch. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to give Chad a piece of her mind and maybe a good look at her fist upclose.

"Can I please get a cab" Gabriella asked putting down a fifty on the counter for her drinks.

"You going to talk to him?" Joe asked with a raised eyebrow as picked up the phone and totaled up her bill. The girl looked like her old belligerent self, which meant there was trouble ahead. At least it would not be in her bar.

Gabriella nodded. She sat there for ten minutes thinking of what she was going to tell him word for word while she waited for her cab.

When she got to his apartment building, she quickly paid the driver and walked into the building. Her rage increasing in intensity with each step that she took. By the time she reached the penthouse she was ready to explode. She passed a startled doorman as she burst into Chad's penthouse.

She slammed the door behind her and looked around for her prey. He was not on the couch he usually slept on. " Chad!!" she bellowed going up the stairs in the darkened penthouse. She looked inside his room , and searched the other rooms but did not find him. After searching for two more minutes she finally accepted that he was not home and went back down the stairs.

She tossed her purse on the couch and sunk down into it herself. Where was he? It was late, he should be home. Just then a multitude of possibilities popped into her head, all of them including Taylor. She let out a gasp of pain just at the thought. She quickly stood up and went to his bar. It was a small selection but what did she care…she needed a drink. She reached for the first bottle, looked down at it. Scotch. She took out the top and brought the bottle to her mouth and poured some down her throat. She then began to pace, bottle in hand.

Maybe he wasn't with her, maybe he was doing some business Troy sent him to do. Troy! Maybe he was with Troy! With that thought she headed for the other penthouse, the bottle still in her hand.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Troy barked at this unwelcome guest from his couch.

"I am looking for Chad, where is he?!" Gabriella shouted back. This was the last person she needed to deal with tonight.

" In the middle of the night ? Aren't you married?" he sneered at her. "Let me guess the Evans finally wizened up and threw your gold-digging ass out"

"Don't start with me, I want to talk to Chad!"

"He doesn't live here, he lives across the hall!" he motioned towards the door.

"He is not there, where is he?!" she yelled moving closer to the couch menacingly.

"Obviously somewhere where you ain't" he yelled back taking a sip of his drink "and I bet he is happier there" he added.

"No he isn't!!" Gabriella yelled thinking about Chad with Taylor. Her high strung emotions busting in a blind rage. She picked up a vase next to her and threw it at him. The vase missed his head by a foot and instead hit the wall near the fireplace.

"HEY! Don't throw my stuff around, and especially not AT ME! Get your sorry ass out of here!!" Troy looked at the smashed vase and stood angrily turning towards her. He grabbed her by the arm painfully dragging her towards the door without breaking a stride.

"OOWW! Get your hands off me!" She struggled against his bruising grip but he only held her tighter moving towards the door. When the pain got worse she stopped struggling but planted her feet " Your hurting me" she whispered in pain.

At her words Troy dropped her arm as if it burned him. He looked at her arm and saw the quickly darkening bruise. He stepped back staring at her arm and then looked up to her face. " Sorry" he muttered sitting back on the couch and finishing the contents of his glass. " Get out" he motioned towards the door darkly.

"Not until you tell me where your bastard of a best friend is" she stated purposely while rubbing her arm, she was going to find Chad tonight, and he was going to hear what she thought about him tonight.

At her statement Troy raised his eyebrow and laughed sarcastically "You are calling Chad a bastard! Talk about disillusionment!" When he saw her stare at him coldly not making any move to leave he sighed. " He is probably giving that Mckessie girl a ride in his car". He moved to his bar filling up his glass and then looked up at her and added with a cruel grin "Like he usually does".

"How long has this been going on?" she asked sitting down on the couch.

"A month, I don't know, it's not any of your business" he stated watching her sharply

His words were like salt to her already bleeding wounds and she wanted to howl in pain. " It is my business! It is my business since he is the one who is stringing me along not telling me where we stand! It is my business because he has my heart in his hand" she sobbed loudly and quietly added "and is crushing it slowly but painfully without a thought to me" she slammed the bottle on the table and covered her face with her hands.

Troy just gaped at her. What the hell was going on here? He saw the pain on her face, pain he could relate to. He shook the thought from his head, this was Gabriella she was never used; she used people. He watched her cry into her hands. His eyes wandered towards her arm and he saw the bruise. His eyes darkened as he remembered how it got there. He left the room and went to the kitchen.

Gabriella wiped her eyes but the tears kept coming. Gabriella wiped her eyes again and winced at the pain in her arm. She looked down at it and examined it, it looked worse than it felt.

"Here, let me see it" Troy demanded holding out his hand her arm as he sat down next to her. Gabriella saw the zip lock bag filled with ice and held out her arm. He placed the ice on her bruise without another word and held it there. They sat there for a couple of minutes each absorbed in their own thoughts. After a while Gabriella took the ice from his hand " I think it is going to be okay".

He opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it. He nodded, and went to the bar to get his forgotten drink. He watched her for a couple minutes. She just sat there. It did not look like she was leaving soon. Damn, he wanted to be alone with his ghosts, he didn't want her here. She obviously had problems of her own.

He sighed and sat at the other end of the couch, this night could not get any worse. At least she had stopped crying. He couldn't stand to see women cry not even Gabriella, especially not tonight, it brought back memories. He looked at her again. It looked like she had spent most of the night doing what he had been doing. Drinking. Well that ruled out trying to kick her out again, not even he could send a woman he loathed out in her state.

" Since it looks like you are not willing to leave, I will allow you to stay," at this Gabriella merely snorted and headed for his bar. "but you have to be quiet and stay away from my liquor!" he added when he saw her move to his bar.

She turned around and went back to where she had been sitting and lifted the bottle she had brought with her and waved it at him. " I have my own" she took a swing and then sat back on the couch. She was both emotionally and physically tired. She didn't feel like leaving. She could not go to Chad's place because…it was Chad's. Everything there would remind her of him. She was not going back to the Evan's because she was not ready to go back to her prison yet. Troy watched her gulp down the scotch with a lifted brow.

" Isn't Ryan going to be worried about you?"

"He's out of town for the week on business," she said with a sarcastic laugh. Thinking that if Ryan had been in town he would have been monitoring her every move, not because of worry but rather to protect his 'asset'.

Troy nodded and gulped down his drink and went back to the bar, coming back with the bottle. He didn't really care, he just wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a disgruntled husband at his door tonight. One uninvited guest was enough.

--------

_Two hours Later about 4 am_.

They were both really drunk and sitting side by side each with a bottle in their hands. Troy had long forgotten his rule about Gabriella not getting into his liquor and she had a bottle of his expensive bourbon in her hand.

The quiet rule had been broken too an hour ago when Gabriella had asked Troy about his demons. He had proceeded to tell her about his previous wife and how helpless he had felt when he could not protect her. She in turn told him about her childhood, her father's abandonment and abuse. In two hours they had let each other see what made the other tick. Not thinking about the fact that they were enemies, or that the other might later use it against them. They were too drunk.

" Damn, my eyes got heavy" Troy muttered. Gabriella giggled at this.

" Mine too" she giggled again. She could barely keep her eyes open. After a couple minutes of struggling she let her eyes close. Troy looked at her and shook his head. He was tired too but they could not sleep on the couch.

" Hey, get up" he shook her.

" huh…" she mumbled not opening her eyes.

" Get up, you can't sleep on the couch" he shook her again when he noticed she hadn't opened her eyes.

" Why?…." she slurred.

" It's bad for your back…" he said after a thinking about her question for a moment.

" oh…" she placed her bottle on the table after it stopped moving. She then started to lean back onto the couch, but Troy's hand stopped her.

" There are beds upstairs you can sleep in the guest room." He stated standing up reaching for her hand. " Come on I will help you up"

Gabriella took his hand and let him help her towards the stairs, not that he was in better shape than she was, she noted as he stumbled on the first step. As he muttered and cursed, Gabriella giggled holding on to the stairs railing. He gave her a dark look, which only made her giggle harder. He smiled reluctantly " Damn stair moved" he stated holding on to the railing as he dragged her behind him.

They finally got up the stairs and he led her to the guestroom. He opened the door using more effort than he normally would. Damn door had become heavier he thought. He helped a stumbling Gabriella to the bed and sat her down on it, and moved back towards the door. She crawled on to the bed and tried to get the covers back but they were tucked in too tight. When he saw he struggle Troy stopped near the door. " You want some help?" he asked, though he hoped she would say no because he didn't feel like walking all the way back to the bed.

" Uh huh" Gabriella said sitting back in defeat. Just his luck, Troy sighed and walked back to the bed. He sat down on the other side of the bed and tugged at covers. Why were they in so tight? He tugged again and this time succeeded in pulling them back. Gabriella crept in between the covers and murmured " Thanks" before she put her head down and passed out. Troy looked down at her and then at the distance to the door. He felt the energy drain out of him and his body hitting the cool sheets. There they both lay oblivious of their positions.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok so I now have this story planned out...it might be somewhat confusing but hopefully it will become clearer later. and in this chapter Vance is Ryan's dad lol incase ppl didn't know.

Chapter 2_  
_

_6 am._

Troy shivered, it was cold. He had thrown off his shirt and pants somewhere on the floor and the boxers he had on were not enough to fend off the morning cold. He upset-mindedly reached for the covers and slipped in between them. As he slipped his hands under the covers his right hand brushed against something warm and soft. With his eyes still closed he reached out to investigate the object and encountered a soft body. Instinctively he pulled it closer to him and buried his head between his companion's neck and shoulder and made himself comfortable with a slight groan.

_6.30 am. _

Gabriella shifted uncomfortably, idly aware of dislodging something from her back. She was too hot. She reached down and felt her jeans, she shifted again trying to get comfortable and failed. Without a second thought she shoved off her jeans and kicked them to the bottom of the bed under the covers. She then turned onto her stomach, arms wide spread in an effort to find a comfortable position. Her left arm came into contact with something and she sleepily run her hands on it to figure out what it was. She felt the hard muscles underneath her fingers and instinctively moved closer to the obviously male body next to her. She lay her head on the hard chest and breathed in and let out a sigh of contentment when a strong arm encircled her back holding her closer to him. She faded back to her previous slumberous state.

_12 noon_

There was something tickling his nose. He reached out his hand to move the irritating object from his nose. His hand encountered soft hair. He touched and ran his hand through it. He realized his hand was around her holding her to his chest. He ran his hand down her side, fascinated by the curvaceous body next to him. His hand moved lower and he smiled when he realized she was only wearing a shirt. His grin turned wicked and with his eyes still closed he turned her onto her back and buried his face in her neck. He kissed her neck making a trail to her face as his hands moved beneath her shirt.

She felt the hands roam over her body and smiled. She moaned softly as those strong hands moved underneath her shirt. She lifted her head backwards giving him more access to her neck. Her hands moved to his chest, and then trailed to his back moving lower. He groaned and moved between her legs instinctively, cupping her breasts in his hands as his shifted his weight on her. She adjusted her position in order to cradled him between her legs. She moaned again and pulled his head to her face bringing their lips together. Their mouths opened to each other allowing their tongues to dance with each other. Their passion increased in intensity as they both deepened their kiss and their hands moved to remove the remaining barriers of clothing they had on. He pulled back from the kiss and moved back to her neck making a trail downwards. When those lips enclosed her nipple driving her wild as his hands moved lower his fingers dancing on her sensitive flesh, she called out her partner's name. " Chad" she gasped. At those words. He stopped as if frozen, and opened his eyes. At his pause she opened her eyes to see why he had stopped. Their eyes met and they stared at each other in shock. After a second she shrieked loudly pushing him away from her.

"TROY!"

"GABRIELLA!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" They each yelled at each other at the same time, staring at each other in shock. Gabriella recovered first and quickly pulled the covers up to her chin covering her exposed chest.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" she shouted again angrily " In fact what are you doing in my bed?!" giving him a swift kick to move him away from her when he did not answer. Troy stared at her with his mouth open still in shock. When she kicked him he snapped out of it and shoved her leg away from him, angrily looking around him.

"The question should be what are YOU doing here, this is MY bed!" he snapped at her grabbing the sheet away from her and pulling it around his waist as he got of the bed.

Gabriella clutched the comforter she still held closer to her as she looked around the room trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Sure enough she was not in her room at the Evans', at least not unless someone had painted her pink walls grayish- blue over night.

"What are we doing in your guestroom?!" she demanded as she sat up on the bed, her eyes glaring at him, as she moved her brown mane out of her face.

"Hell if I know!" he glared back at her. He sure would like to find out though. His head hurt, and he had woken up next to this …...this nightmare! In the same bed with Gabriella!

"What do you mean you don't know!" she questioned angrily looking at the floor near the bed for her clothes. She found her shirt and quickly put it on but her pants were nowhere in site. "Where are my damn pants!!!" she looked at him accusingly. She needed to get the hell out of here. Her head was pounding, it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. At the thought she threw another glare at Troy. She wouldn't put it past him.

"Do you know why we are here?!" he spitted at her ignoring her last question. He knew he was not responsible for this. It had to be one of her tricks. Yeah, she was up to something, the question was what did she think she would gain by this little fiasco. As the idea formed he moved slowly and angrily back towards the bed his headache forgotten.

"What did you think you would gain by pulling this stunt!" he said reaching the bed and bending down to her face level.

"ME?!…" She sputtered looking up from her search in shocked outrage.

"Yes, you what did you think you would gain by this little seduction attempt?!"

"Seduction!!……" she laughed her voice filled with anger and disbelief. "Don't flatter yourself! The very idea that I would stoop to seduce….." she made a sudden motion with her head and felt something rise up her chest. She was going to be sick.

"What? Finish your line! The very idea that you would 'stoop to seduce me' what?" he demanded at her abrupt pause. "What? nothing to say Gabriella?! Huh, can't come up with a good lie?" he taunted menacingly.

"I am going to be sick" she muttered taking a deep breath in an attempt to stop the inevitable.

"Ooh so the idea nauseates you,… good one," he patted her on the back " thought you could do better though" Troy laughed sarcastically.

At his pat, she knew she had lost the battle. She jumped off the bed and ran past him to get to the bathroom.

Gabriella's abrupt exit did not deter him, he merely followed her. He was about to continue in his tirade but closed his mouth when he found her heaving into the toilet.

She had barely made it to the toilet bowl and as she emptied her stomach's contents into it she wondered how she had gotten here. All of a sudden some of the nights events came back. She remembered talking to him on the couch but that was it. The rest was blank.

Suddenly, the thought of Chad and Taylor caused her to draw in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and placed her right palm on her unusually warm forehead. This day was going to be a nightmare she thought as she drew a mental picture of her altered situation. She had no 'home' to run to now that Chad was……whatever, she was not going to him. Which meant she had no money to fight the Evan's, at least not enough. Damn, things could not get any worse. Just then another wave of nausea hit her.

Troy watched her, and in his mind he knew that his accusations were without base. She disliked him as much as he did her, and there was the fact that she had called out Chad's name. When he saw her flush the toilet he sighed and went to the sink. He filled a glass with water leaned down and handed it to her. Without a word she took the glass and took a sip, leaning back on her knees. She pressed the cool glass on her forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asked grudgingly.

"I'm fine, …just fine" she muttered testily, she stood up unsteadily and headed back into the bedroom leaving him in the bathroom. She needed to get back to the Evans. She lifted the covers back onto the bed. As she did that she saw her pants at the base of the bed. She sat down and put them on…she didn't look to see if Troy had followed her. She didn't even care if he was watching her. She had bigger things to worry about.

She put on her shoes and stood up. As she did so, she saw herself in the dresser mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess, she needed a brush. She had one in her purse…where was her purse? She thought about it……Chad's. She looked at her watch, he was definitely up by now. She didn't feel like having her confrontation right now. She would face him when she was fit enough to give him hell. She guessed that meant she wouldn't be taking a cab, seeing as her money was in her purse. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride.

"Could you please have somebody drop me at the Evans?" she asked turning to Troy who she noticed had just reentered the room.

"Sure," he answered quickly. He was more than ready for her to leave, so he could figure some stuff out. He picked up his pants and went downstairs to tell his driver to get a car ready.  
When he left she looked at her hair again and then went to the bathroom in the hope of finding a brush. She found a small comb and attempted to pass it through her hair.

After several minutes she looked at her handy work and shrugged. It was not much better. There was no help for it she would just have to leave with it like this. She went downstairs and looked around. The couch was a mess, the cushions were all over the place and she could see spots that had not been there before…probably from the bottles lying around. There were glasses and bottles on the table. Must have been some night.

"The car is ready," Troy spoke up from the kitchen door. She nodded and headed for the door. Just as she was opening the door he called to her " Gabriella"….she turned around and saw the stern warning look in his eye.

She knew what he meant " This NEVER happened, I was NEVER here!" she said with un-holstered rage. As if _she_ would want anyone to know she had been here. With that thought she slammed the door behind her.

_12:45 p.m. _

Gabriella arrived the mansion knowing that they were all up. It was a given that they would ask questions and if she didn't encounter them the nosy know-it-all butler was bound to tell them about her appearance. She had Troy's driver drop her out of site of the mansion. She walked behind the mansion. It was a weekend, they were used to her sleeping in late. All she needed to do was to get to her room before they sent someone to check up on her, that is if they hadn't already. She came around and stood beneath her terrace. With a sigh she found a hold on the wall and began climbing.

Two minutes later she was standing on a ledge to the right of her terrace balcony beads of sweat running down her back and behind her neck. She must really be out of shape she thought, trying to steady her breath and clear her head as the balcony seemed to blur in front of her. She leaned back on the wall taking another breath, and prepared to jump the foot between the ledge and the balcony. With a quick push from the wall she launched herself onto her terrace railing. She made it, grabbed onto the railing and hauled herself over it onto the terrace with concentrated effort and immediately sunk down to the terrace floor.

She leaned back on the railing and placed her head in her hands. Her head was on fire and she felt as if all the energy had been out her body, she could barely move her limbs. Her body parts seemed detached from the rest of her. Her head was pounding so hard she thought she could hear it. The pounding became louder and she thought she heard a muffled voice. " Mrs. Evans?" this was followed by a loud pounding on her door.

" Mrs. Evans?" the voice came again. She needed to get into bed before he decided to open the door himself. Even as she thought this she tried to get herself to stand up and go into her room, but she couldn't muster the strength. She dragged herself on her hands and knees, crawling into her room. She reached her bed and crawled in still clothed. Just as she pulled the bedclothes over her head the door opened and in walked the butler followed by Vance.

"Mrs. Evans."

"Gabriella?" they both said at the same time. They came towards the bed.

"What ?" she muttered moving the covers from her face to glare at them.

"It is almost one o'clock my dear, I was just worried about you," Vance stated with a deceptive smile.

"Yeah, whatever Vance, I'm alive now go away," she mumbled disbelievingly. She knew he had been hoping she wasn't here, so he could have another reason to try take her kid away from her.

"Now, now my dear, no need to be testy," Vance said with an annoying smile.

"Go away!" she growled. She waited a minute and then heard her door close.

When she heard the footsteps fade down the hall she reluctantly climbed out of her bed. She needed to get into some comfortable clothes. She went to her dresser and was about to reach for her nightdress, but changed her mind when she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She reached for her sweat pants and a T-shirt and slowly changed into them. She then went back to her bed and crawled in. In a minute she was dead to the world.

Out in the hall Vance turned to the butler. "I thought you said that she did not come back last night?!" he growled angrily.

"I didn't see her come in," the butler answered puzzled " I guess she came in while I was doing something else"

Vance snorted and muttered " Get your information straight next time" walking away with angry disappointment.


End file.
